Mincemeat and Marzipan Cake – A Great Emergency Christmas Cake

Mincemeat and Marzipan Cake Recipe

This week’s post is written in haste. For two reasons. 1) I still have 4 hours at work before I finish for Christmas and plenty to fill those four hours and 2) I expect you are super busy too, so you don’t need to spend half an hour listening to my ramblings. That said, I didn’t feel we could go into the festive period without me sharing this brilliant recipe with you.

I discovered this cake a couple of years ago, and I was instantly taken with how flavoursome and brace yourself – moist – it was. As a concept the Mincemeat and Marzipan cake doesn’t instantly blow you away, but on first tasting, it really is delicious. The sweet, nutty chunks of marzipan compliment the dried fruit in the mincemeat. The cake also has a lightness you don’t associate with a standard fruit cake, therefore making it easier to eat two, or even three, slices back to back.

I also think, if you are running behind with your festive baking, or don’t particularly like Christmas cake, this does make a brilliant alternative. None of the rolled fondant icing to bother with, just a wonderful light fruit cake, with enormous blobs of marzipan running through it. This recipe is a fiddled with version of one from the Good Food Magazine 101 Cakes and Bakes Book, and what a splendid little publication this is.

Here’s the Christmassy ingredient list. Good store cupboard fodder, and definitely worth fighting through the crowds in Waitrose for.

Start by weighing out the flour and butter. I used my Magimix to make my cake, but do feel free to rub the butter into the flour by hand if you are that way inclined. So, that said, add the butter and flour to the mixer and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir or mix in the soft brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, weigh the mincemeat and beat in the eggs. Add in the almond and vanilla extracts and give it all a good stir.

Add the mincemeat mixture to the dry mixture and process or stir well accordingly. This mixture smells and tastes wonderful.

Chop the marzipan into small chunks, eat a few, then stir the rest through the cake mixture.

Spoon the luscious batter into your lined loaf tin and level the top for neatness.

Pop this little Christmassy treat in the oven for between 50 minutes and an hour. But do check on it after 40 minutes as you may need to cover the top in foil if it’s getting too brown. The loaf is cooked when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake and the top is golden and crusty.

Like so.

Serve this wonderful cake, barely warm, in large slabs. Making sure you get the slice with the most marzipan in it.

So, if you haven’t had a chance to make your Christmas cake yet, throw this together this evening and you will be super popular with your festive visitors.

Do please have a very Merry Christmas. Lots of love.

Lucy x

Mincemeat and Marzipan Cake Recipe

You will need a 2lb (1 kilo) loaf tin, lined or well buttered

200g self raising flour

100g cold butter, chopped

85g light brown sugar

2 eggs

300g mincemeat

1/2 teaspoon almond and vanilla extracts

125g marzipan

Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees fan assisted.

I used my Magimix to make this cake but you can certainly stick to the original recipe and make by hand. Either way, start off with the flour and butter. Either add to the mixer and blend until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs or rub the butter into the flour by hand.

Mix in the sugar and stir/process well. In another bowl, measure the mincemeat and add the two eggs. Add the almond and vanilla extracts. Beat these ingredients together then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Chop the marzipan into small squares, then stir this into the mixture. Spoon into your lined loaf tin, levelling the top before you put in the pre heated oven. Cook this delicious cake for about 50 minutes to an hour, but check on the cake after 40 minutes, you may need to cover the top of the cake with foil if getting too brown. It is cooked when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle, and the cake is crisp, fragrant and golden.

Hi Lavinia, thanks so much for your kind words. Maybe you could add glace cherries or dried apricots to the cake in place of the marzipan? Or any other dried fruits you love? Let me know how you get on? Best wishes, Lucy xx

Christmas greetings Lucy, you may have saved me the horror of not showing up with a Christmas cake this year. Can this cake be make ahead of time like a more traditional Christmas cake ( my mother would be rolling her eyes as it is obviously not October & I am two month behind schedule) or do you need to make it for when you need to eat it.
Many thanks and have a fabulous Christmas.

Christmas Greetings to you too, Mandy, I hope you and your family are all well? It does make a delicious and easy substitute for the usual kerfuffle laden Christmas Cake. I would only make it a couple of days in advance though. It does keep, but not as long as the traditional one. Hope you love it and have a super Christmas. Lucy xx

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ABOUT LUCY

I am Lucy. A forty something with roles a-plenty. Mum to two boys and a dog, wife, PA and now blogger. We live in the suburbs of SW London and pretty much constantly have our noses in the trough. Read More…

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ABOUT LUCY

I am Lucy. A forty something with roles a-plenty. Mum to two boys and a dog, wife, PA and now blogger. We live in the suburbs of SW London and pretty much constantly have our noses in the trough. Read More…